Chapter Three #2
“You know Mr. Grant’s son started working a lot harder after the accident,” Price made a point to say.
“His name’s Elijah. I met him once. He isn’t as much of a social butterfly as his dad.
He doesn’t seem to need the attention. Still, I heard he stays at the mill enough that he’s won over some of the workers.
There was even some talk that they want him to take over the place instead of his daddy. ”
Blake didn’t know how to feel about the steel mill anymore. Growing up, it had always just been a place that employed half the town. Even after the accident, it still was just the steel mill.
But then, one day, it became the last place that Beth had been seen alive.
She had finished her safety inspection and then gotten into the car accident on the way home.
It hadn’t been the steel mill’s fault, but now Blake felt an uncomfortable weight at its mention.
Still, she found the news interesting.
“I figured after Mr. Clearwater retired and shut down the tractor supply biz, his bestie Mr. Grant would eventually follow his lead,” she admitted. “He’s probably prepping his kid to take over for him. I doubt he’d just shut the mill down instead. The entire town would revolt.”
Price agreed with that. Like her, he had grown up with the steel mill being the heart of the town’s workforce. The idea of it shutting down was as bizarre as if Corrie Daniels decided to keep gossip to herself.
Not long after, the sheriff finally reappeared. He wasn’t happy. Neither was Blake once she heard Ryan’s excuse for his sudden reappearance.
Men lied, women too, but Ryan Reed was the worst of those who chose to twist the truth.
He had been the same way before the divorce and shortly after.
Lola had been livid recounting the way he had been loudly saying the entire thing was Beth’s fault and none of it was his brother’s fault.
That’s why Blake had a hard time believing anything the sheriff was saying.
Then again, Weaver looked like he wasn’t exactly buying it either.
“Ryan said he was in the area, saw the daycare program, and was curious,” the sheriff continued to relay. “He claims he wasn’t going to try to talk to you or the kids at all. He just wanted a peek at them to see how they were doing. He was trying to be inconspicuous, best I can guess.”
Blake crossed her arms over her chest and snorted.
“When I saw him, he sure wasn’t trying to seem inconspicuous. If he was Waldo, then every reader looking for him would have been disappointed at how easy it was to spot him.”
Sheriff Weaver, leaning against the table, also had his arms crossed over his chest. Blake thought she saw his lips twitch. She continued with the other part of Ryan’s sudden reappearance that had her questioning the man.
“Also, why the heck did he run?”
At this, the sheriff did a finger gun at her.
“I asked that actually,” he said. He cleared his throat and surprised Blake with a mock impression of Ryan. It was a nasally sound that must have been hard for his naturally deep voice. “‘I ran because she chased me like a bat outta hell.’”
Blake rolled her eyes.
“I took one step toward him, and he was the one out there running a relay.” Blake leaned forward. “Not to mention, once I finally got him to stop, he attacked like a feral animal being caged. Why would you do that if you were only there with the best of intentions?”
The sheriff’s gaze went to the Band-Aid over her eyebrow. It wasn’t the best patch job she had done on herself, but it would do until she could take more care at the house.
“Has he never been physical before?” he asked.
Blake shook her head.
“Ryan, and Tim for that matter, have always been slimy guys but never abusive.”
The sheriff tilted his head now a little.
“What about you?” he asked. “Have you gotten physical with him before?”
Blake snorted.
“I’ve wanted to smack both brothers upside the head since Tim married into the family.” She sighed out long. “But I didn’t want to upset my sister. Or my dad. So I only told my piece once about not liking them. I never brought it up again, especially after Clem was born.”
Another, different kind of resentment pooled inside of Blake.
She didn’t often talk about her father, not even with her stepmother.
He didn’t live with them and, as far as Blake could guess, never would.
Blake had only ever fallen short in her father’s eyes.
Nothing had changed that, even after Beth’s passing.
Not even his optimistic and loving wife could sway Blake’s father to change his poor opinion of her.
That was one reason Lola had moved in—she couldn’t stand to see no one helping. So she had stepped in without a word.
Blake shifted in her seat, uncomfortable.
She shook her head.
“I’ve given Ryan no reason to run from me or attack me like that,” she underlined. “And other than a hospital visit after Bruce was born, as far as I know, neither Ryan nor Tim have shown any interest in either him or Clementine.”
The sheriff pushed off the table. His arms stayed crossed.
It sure was a powerful stance. Blake could imagine his campaign to be sheriff must have had some good-looking ad and marketing materials.
Price was silent but was obviously not a fan of the story either.
“It’s up to you if you want to press charges, but just know he’s already talked about reaching out to a lawyer,” the sheriff said. “Plus, you did chase him into the woods. Even if you were only following him to talk.”
Blake already knew she looked like the instigator in the situation. Still, it made her snarl.
The sheriff didn’t directly address the less-than-professional noise. Then again, it wasn’t like she was at work here. She was just a citizen now.
“I’ll leave then,” she said, standing. “I assume talking to him beforehand would be discouraged.”
“Strongly so,” Weaver agreed. “Unless you want to keep dealing with him and his lawyer too.”
Blake didn’t want that. Plus, she needed to get home. Lola was already a saint for sacrificing her retirement to help Blake and the kids. She didn’t need to add a new stressor to their already chaotic lives.
“I think this morning was enough of a detour for us.”
The sheriff nodded.
“Good choice.”
A moment of silence bubbled up between them. Sheriff Weaver wasn’t the least talkative man she had met, but with his size and demeanor, that quiet had its own presence. One that made her feel a bit squirmy.
“Can I go now, or do I need to do anything else?” she asked, trying to move away from yet another uncomfortable feeling.
He nodded to Price.
“Price can drop you off at your house whenever you’re ready. We’ll let Mr. Reed go after you’ve already left.” He took something from his pocket and handed it over.
It was his business card.
Liam Weaver, Sheriff
“You can call the department or me directly if there’s any more trouble with him. It would be faster to call the department though.”
Blake nodded. She didn’t have her purse or a pocket to put it in, so she held it against the side of her dress. She suddenly felt a wave of vulnerability in wearing it. Or, really, wearing it without some kind of badge out in front.
Her eyes flitted to the sheriff’s star. She averted her gaze right after.
“Hopefully I won’t have to use it,” she said. “But thanks.”
The sheriff didn’t hesitate.
“Hopefully not.” He walked to the door and opened it wide. A deputy was walking by. The sheriff caught his attention. “Make sure Mr. Reed doesn’t leave until Miss Bennet here is gone. I don’t want him starting anything in the parking lot.”
Blake spied the deputy’s name tag: Mel Gavin.
He looked familiar, but the name wasn’t landing.
That was okay though. She had no intention of making friends at the moment. Even reconnecting with Price wasn’t going to go past their shared ride.
It couldn’t.
Blake had enough to deal with. Enough to juggle. Enough to worry about.
She smiled up at the sheriff, thanked him again, and started to walk on by.
His eyes followed her every step of the way.
Maybe if things had been different, Blake would have said something more. Done something more.
Instead, she let the smile be the end of it.
It wasn’t until she was sitting the car with Price later that she realized she was still wearing the sheriff’s shirt.